ressed" manuscript the present writer referred, and
not to the slender brochure recently given to the public. He is bound,
therefore, to say plainly that to satisfy inquirers who may be still in
doubt with reference to Edwards's theological views, it would be
necessary to submit this manuscript, and all manuscripts of his which
have been kept private, to their inspection, in print, if possible, so
that all could form their own opinion about it or them.

The whole matter may be briefly stated thus: Edwards believed in an
eternity of unimaginable horrors for "the bulk of mankind." His
authority counts with many in favor of that belief, which affects great
numbers as the idea of ghosts affected Madame de Stall: "Je n'y crois
pas, mais je les crains." This belief is one which it is infinitely
desirable to the human race should be shown to be possibly, probably, or
certainly erroneous. It is, therefore, desirable in the interest of
humanity that any force the argument in its favor may derive from
Edwards's authority should be weakened by showing that he was capable of
writing most unwisely, and if it should be proved that he changed his
opinions, or ran into any "heretical" vagaries, by using these facts
against the validity of his judgment. That he was capable of writing
most unwisely has been sufficiently shown by the recent publication of
his "Observations." Whether he, anywhere contradicted what were generally
accepted as his theological opinions, or how far he may have lapsed into
heresies, the public will never rest satisfied until it sees and
interprets for itself everything that is open to question which may be
contained in his yet unpublished manuscripts. All this is not in the
least a personal affair with the writer, who, in the course of his
studies of Edwards's works, accidentally heard, from the unimpeachable
sources sufficiently indicated, the reports, which it seems must have
been familiar to many, that there was unpublished matter bearing on the
opinions of the author through whose voluminous works he had been
toiling. And if he rejoiced even to hope that so wise a man as Edwards
has been considered, so good a man as he is recognized to have been, had,
possibly in his changes of opinion, ceased to think of children as
vipers, and of parents as shouting hallelujahs while their lost darlings
were being driven into the flames, where is the theologian who would not
rejoice to hope so with him or who would b